Dysphagia, the medical term for difficulty in swallowing, affects more than 18 million adults and millions more children in the U.S. Dysphagia is associated with increased mortality and morbidity. Patients with dysphagia suffer from many chronic problems including dehydration, pulmonary complications, reduced quality of life, and malnutrition. Sarcopenia, the age-related loss of muscle mass, is a primary cause of dysphagia and is exacerbated by malnutrition. Malnutrition-Sarcopenia syndrome is a chronic affliction among older adults, resulting of their decreased swallowing function. In addition to age-related sarcopenia, muscle weakness leading to dysphagia can be caused by other health problems such as stroke, neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer. One of the most common treatment strategies for dysphagia is drinking dietary beverages that are thickened. Although muscle weakness can be attenuated with adequate protein intake, current thickened dietary beverages for dysphagia primarily provide carbohydrates and contain little or no protein.
What is needed are dietary beverages for dysphagia that provide protein.